Smart Ganga City Scheme Launched in Ten Cities

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti and Union Urban Development Minister Shri M Venkaiah Naidu launched Smart Ganga City Scheme in ten important cities through video conference.

These cities are – Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Varanasi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Patna, Sahibgunj and Barrackpore.

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has chosen these cities in the first phase for infrastructure development for sewage treatment. This will be on hybrid annuity mode based on PPP model.

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the implementation wing of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).

It is a registered society originally formed by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

As per the 306th amendment in the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, both NGRBA and NMCG are allocated to the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD &GR).

The aims and objectives of NMCG is to accomplish the mandate of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)-
1.To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination for comprehensive planning and management and

2.To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.